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BABY DROWNED IN THE SEA. |
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On Thursday, the 28th of March 1935 East Cleveland was agog
with the news that the previous day about noon, a Skelton woman
had been found unconscious at the foot of a cliff in Runswick Bay and
her baby laid on the beach. The woman had been seen going towards the “scaur”, which was unusual at that time of year and after rough weather. A party of men set out to find her. The baby was taken to a nearby joiner’s shop where artificial respiration was tried to no avail. The woman was carried to the Royal Hotel, where she was seen by Dr W L Brown and Dr Dorothy Brown. After a time she recovered and was removed by the Whitby motor ambulance to the Whitby Institution, where she was treated for exhaustion. The mother was identified as Florence Mary Knaggs, aged 25. On the following Tuesday she was conveyed to the Whitby Police Station and was charged with the Murder of her own child, an offence which in those days could carry the Death Penalty by hanging. Florence was single and had lived at 25 John St, New Skelton since childhood. She had attended the nearby Stanghow Lane Elementary School and was in standard 6 on attaining the leaving age of 14. She then went into domestic service in various places in the North Riding of Yorkshire. 18 months with Mr James Ackroyd of West Barnby; 6 months with Mr Thomas, farmer of Great Ayton; 2 years with Mr Little, farmer of Upleatham; 3 months at home; 1 month as a maid at Skinningrove Hospital;4 months with Mr Hall, farmer of Marske; 12 months domestic service in Redcar; Situation at Little Hampton; returned to Redcar; |
| 6 months at home when her mother fell ill and stayed until
she died on the 8th April 1932; day maid for a Miss Powell at Saltburn
until January 1934;domestic service at Birmingham. Finding herself in an advanced state of pregnancy in April 1934, she went to live with her sister Mrs Olive Wheldon at Ivy Cottage, Carlton in Cleveland. Her child was born here on the 18th June 1934. No one could persuade her to reveal the name of the father. She went back to New Skelton and with her own father took over a fish and chip business at 25 John St, but it was not a success. On the 25th February there was a fire there of unknown origin. All her employers spoke of her as being reserved, honest, of average intelligence, good moral character and a hard worker. She had left her situations of her own free will. On Friday, the 8th March she appeared before the Magistrates at Whitby charged that on the 27th Feb 1935 in the township of Hinderwell at Runswick Bay, feloniously, wilfully and with malice aforethought did kill and murder Michael Knaggs aged eight months. The local press described her as “a tragic figure in a black waterproof coat and light blue beret sat at a table, looking very young and extremely pale.” The Clerk asked her if she had any objection to the case being remanded for one week? The prisoner answered “No” - quietly, but without emotion, and passed her right hand across her eyes. She was remanded to Durham Gaol. An Inquest on the baby victim was held conducted by Mr H Barugh, coroner, Guisborough. Here Florence’s father, Henry [Harry] Knaggs of 25 John St, New Skelton and previously of 29 Harker St, Skelton Green, stated that he was an unemployed steel works labourer. The child was the illegitimate child of his daughter, Florence Mary Knaggs, and was eight months and a fortnight old. At about 9.45 a.m. on Wednesday, last week, his daughter left his sister’s home in Grange Street, Brotton, with her little boy. She said she was going to New Skelton. He never saw the boy alive again. When she appeared at Court again her father gave evidence that she had been staying with his sister at 21 Grange St, Brotton and on the morning of the 27th she had said she was “going to Skelton to light fire and do beds”. She took the child with her, but a conductor gave evidence that she in fact caught a bus in the opposite direction and bought a single ticket to Hinderwell, where she left the vehicle at 10.22 a.m. A Butcher of Staithes stated that he met the accused in Runswick Bay and the baby was crying. A Crane Driver gave evidence that he was walking home from work at Port Mulgrave and at Ling Mow Cliff met the accused carrying her baby along the beach path. It was a very wild day, a high wind and bitter cold. He later saw Florence walking away from the water’s edge in a zigzag path towards the cliff. She had no hat or coat and no child. Her clothes were wet up to her waist and when asked about the baby she replied, “I’ve lost it”. The man searched the water’s edge and finding nothing went home to tell his wife, who informed P.C. Chorlton. A fisherman said he had found the body of the child and two medical practitioners confirmed death was by drowning. It was stated that her father’s parents had lived in the Skelton district all their lives and her mother’s parents had come here 40 years ago. All were now deceased, but there no evidence of any mental problems with them or any of Florence’s siblings, Winnie, Madge, Olive or Thomas. She was sent for trial at the Yorkshire Assizes at Leeds. All that is known about the trial is a report in the Times of the 7th May 1935. |
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